Rescued from my Suffering
by xDracoGenesisx
Summary: Note: This is a Kadaj x OC fanfiction        As the rain fell relentlessly from the heavens, Kadaj felt his life ebbing away slowly. But when someone intervines with his death, how will he react, and how will she react to him?


**A/N: This is a Kadaj x Lunari one shot… YAY! It's slightly AU with the fact that Kadaj is dying, but not in the situation he did in Advent Children. Poor Kadaj is dying all alone, out in the cold, driving rain… And so it begins…**

DISCLAIMER: Kadaj and anything regarding Final Fantasy VII is owned by the wonderful Square Enix. Only Lunari belongs to me.

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_It's all over now… I'm fading…_

Such were Kadaj's thoughts as he lay sprawled in a rundown back alley of Midgar. Rain fell in sheets from the dark clouds above, driven diagonally by the fierce, biting wind. It fell relentlessly on the young silver-haired Remnant, each drop stinging his skin like a million shards of ice. He shivered; by now, all warmth had left his body. Kadaj knew that he was dying; he could feel his conscience giving way to the inviting darkness. Slowly but surely, his life was fading away, to become nothing more than a whisper, a mist in the cold air. Even his memories were disappearing; when the Remnant tried to think back to how he had come to be in the alleyway, all he could find was darkness.

_I'm sorry… Mother… I failed you…_

Regret filled what was left of his waking mind, regret at the fact that he had failed to fulfill his duty to Mother. Kadaj had failed to reach his Reunion. Surely Mother would never love him now. The silver-haired boy was somewhat reluctant to think of it, but he knew it was true. Mother would never love him. She would never give him the things she'd promised him: a home, rest, a family. None of those things were ever his to call his own, and they never would be. He was all alone, alone in death as well as after it. Even his brothers had failed to be there for him in his final moments.

_What does it matter… now? I… deserve what has come upon me…_

Kadaj gasped weakly and clenched his fists, fear bolting through him as he felt his life begin to fade faster. Shadows rimmed his vision, and his hearing became hollow. The world around him suddenly seemed distant, like a dream. _Maybe it was always a dream,_ he thought vaguely. _Maybe I'm just… waking up from a nightmare…_ He closed his eyes, ready to give in to his death.

Suddenly, he heard another faint noise in the "dream world" around him. It was a sound that did not come from the rain, but from something else. He thought, for a moment, that he heard someone's voice in the edges of his mind, but perhaps it was his imagination. The Remnant became more confused when he felt something slide under him and grasp his back, and then suddenly he felt himself lifted from the ground.

_Is this… death? Am I being carried away? Away to the Lifestream?_

These were Kadaj's final thoughts, for then, everything faded to black.

"Hello? Hello? Are you okay? Hey, wake up!"  
Kadaj slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was a bright light, and he squinted, moaning in protest. As his eyes adjusted, the young man looked about him, his mind gradually clearing. His aqua colored eyes finally came to rest on the face of a girl who sat beside him. She had scruffy black hair that fell loosely around her face and stunning silvery-blue eyes. Kadaj struggled to recognize her, but he couldn't. He had never seen her before.

The mysterious girl's face lit up when he looked at her. "Hey, he's alive!" she said in a light tone.  
_Wait. I'm… alive?_  
Indeed he was. Kadaj looked around him again and realized that he was lying on a hospital bed, a thick blanket wrapped around him. He hadn't died, out in the rain.  
_But if I didn't die… then what happened? How did I get here?_

"If you're wondering how you got here, I rescued you." Kadaj turned to the girl with a look of disbelief, and she smiled.  
"You were lying out there, all alone, with no coat or anything. I picked you up and, not knowing what else to do, carried you here. You've been lying unconscious for three days now."  
_Three days…?_ the Remnant thought incredulously. _And she stayed by me… that whole time?_

The girl shifted in her seat. "I'm Lunari. What's your name?" The silver-haired boy hesitated, then answered, "Kadaj. My name's Kadaj." Lunari grinned. "Wow. He speaks, too! It's a miracle!" she joked, laughing. When he did not laugh, only stared at her with a raised eyebrow, she said, "You were suppose to laugh. You're not one for humor, huh?"  
Kadaj didn't reply.  
"Hmph. I guess not."

There was silence between them for a moment, then Lunari abruptly stood and walked to the door. "I'm gonna go see if we can get you discharged now that you're awake, okay?" Upon saying this, she left the room. Kadaj laid his head back on the pillow, his mind whirling.

_That girl… she saved me. When no one else would, she saved me, a complete stranger._  
Kadaj had never known anyone who would show such kindness, and it amazed and confused the young Remnant.

When Lunari returned to the room, she informed Kadaj that he was free to leave, and they left the hospital, Lunari staying with Kadaj out of concern for his wellbeing. Outside, the streets of Midgar were largely empty. It appeared to have just ceased raining, and the pavement sparkled with thousands of rain drops illuminated by the sun.

"Kinda pretty, isn't it?" Lunari said. Kadaj turned to her, surprised by her sudden comment, then faced the sparkling dew once again.  
"Yeah… I guess," he replied.  
"Hey, why don't we go sit down over there," Lunari suggested, pointing to a low wall a few feet away. Kadaj nodded slowly, and the two sat down beside each other. There was another period of silence before Lunari began to speak again.

"So how did you end up in that alley, anyway?"  
"I… I can't remember exactly."  
"Oh… I see."  
Kadaj paused, lowering his gaze as he remembered that he still had to fulfill Mother's wishes.  
"I… I have to do something. It was nice meeting you, Luna-"  
Lunari grabbed his wrist and he stopped. He raised his eyes and met her gaze. The girl's expression seemed to say, _"Don't go yet!"_ He found himself mesmerized by the strange and beautiful color of her eyes, and the two held out the gaze for a few moments. Then, Lunari stirred and said,  
"You… you have Mako eyes… don't you?" Kadaj gasped and turned away. "Yeah… so?"

"I knew someone who had eyes similar to yours. They came from exposure to… to Jenova cells."  
At the mention of Mother's name, Kadaj stiffened. Before she could say any more, he said in a low voice, "I was never a SOLDIER, if that's what you're getting at. I just…"  
_'Until we retrieve Mother's cells, we can't be whole again.'_ Kadaj's own words echoed in his mind.

"You look a bit… like _him._" Kadaj turned his gaze upon her again. Somehow, he knew what she meant by _"him"_.

Sephiroth.

"I'm not him… Mother will never love me as much as him. She just won't!" Kadaj knew he shouldn't have mentioned it to this girl, he knew he shouldn't have cracked in front of her. But for some reason, he _did_. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes, and he squeezed them shut to prevent any more from sliding down his cheek.

"Hey…"  
"Mother wanted her "Reunion" because she wants _him_, not me! She'll never love me! She only loves _Sephiroth_!" He spat the name with disgust. Lunari stared at him, her face confused and empathetic. Her fingers were still wrapped around his wrist.

"Why does he have to be there? I can feel him inside me, I can sense his conscience! It's sickening, to feel his presence within me. I hate it!"

Kadaj had thrown all caution and secrecy to the wind now. He had vented his feelings, and he didn't care if Lunari knew them or not. He cupped his face in his hands, sobbing, all his frustration, angst, and sorrow flowing from him.

Then, something unexpected happened. Lunari let out a choked cry and threw her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. He froze, lifting his head slowly to gaze at her in astonishment.

"You… you don't need to cry," Lunari said, her words muffled and broken as she tried to hold back her own tears.  
"I know what it's like… to feel like a monster… to feel inhuman. Please, don't cry." Under her breath, Kadaj thought he heard her say, "Don't cry in my place!"

The Remnant didn't know how to react. No one had ever shown him pity before. No one had ever shown him that they cared about his plight. And the fact that Lunari knew what it felt like to be inhuman… that perplexed him.

"Why?"  
She looked up at him with confusion, her eyes red from suppressed tears.  
"Why are you doing this? Why are you showing me pity?"  
There was no anger in Kadaj's voice, only genuine curiosity. After a moment's hesitation, she answered him.

"Because you need it. I can tell. Your actions, your eyes, they say that you need kindness, Kadaj. You need pity…

"You need love."

He gasped. _Love…_ It was a mysterious word. He'd never heard it spoken to him before, even in that context. He knew, though, that Lunari was right. He needed kindness and pity… and love… he needed them just to go on in life. He needed them to relieve his pain and confusion. He needed them to give him a reason to live.

Another tear ran slowly down his cheek. But it was not a tear of sorrow. It was a tear of joy. He faced Lunari and wrapped his own arms around her in turn, embracing the girl who had saved his life.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Thank you, Lunari."

_Thank you for saving me, for understanding me…_

_For loving me._


End file.
